jacob carpenter was the complete opposite of his brother. physically, mentally, every way there was.

for one— instead of getting his dad’s brown hair and his mom’s brown eyes, he got his mom’s blonde hair and his dad’s blue ones instead.

second, he had a totally different outlook on life. his brother, ethan, being the total pessimist, and him being the optimist. in every situation.

which is also probably why he was the more approachable one. he never took anything seriously, unless it was hockey, and had a very open personality. sure, people saw him as annoying most of the time, especially due to his ADHD, but he didn’t mind.

he didn’t hate anyone, and was pretty much friends with everyone. but his favorite person was you.

you had been his neighbor since you moved in 1st grade. there was something about you, and maybe it was because you were so carefree about his carelessness, or the fact that he was so happy about everything.

he knew since the first time that he saw you that he loved you. which he said openly all the time.

for years, you loved when he said that he loved you— or hugged you at the most random times.

but as you got older, you realized that you weren’t dating. never had been— and honestly never would. jacob flirted with everyone— seriously— and like stated, never took anything seriously. for example, your feelings.

to him, he loved you and he thought he wouldn’t have to say anything else. maybe it was because he was scared, or the fact that you could find someone far better than him. but sometimes, it really did hurt you.

like tonight.

it’s your birthday party, and your best friend, kiara, set up a huge party for you at her literal mansion. everything was great. pink themed, laughter, loud music— everything. but you couldn’t help but feel empty.

another year with jacob telling you he loved you like it was normal. like it wasn’t slowly driving you insane.

but, you put on a smile. you knew it wouldn’t change and there was nothing you could do about it. and you weren’t about to lose your best friend over some stupid feeling.

instead, you walked over to him with kiara, seeing him in a group of some of his hockey friends, one of them being his best friend, and kiara’s boyfriend. but, his blue eyes lit up once he saw you.

“my favorite girl!” he pulled you into a hug before looking down at you.

“how’s your birthday been so far?”